Donald Trump endorsed by Adelson-owned newspaper

Andrew Silow-Carroll

Trump in Florida

Donald Trump speaking during a campaign rally at the South Florida Fair Grounds in West Palm Beach, Fla., Oct. 13, 2016. (Maria Lorenzino/Sun Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images)

(JTA) — The Las Vegas Review-Journal, owned by Jewish philanthropist and Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, has become the first major newspaper to endorse Donald Trump for president.

In the editorial appearing Sunday, the newspaper acknowledges that the Republican nominee’s “impulsiveness and overheated rhetoric alienate many voters.” But it said Trump could act as an “agent for reform” when it comes to lowering taxes, simplifying the tax code, reducing the national debt and restoring America to a “position of strong leadership” on the world stage.

The editorial also asserts that Trump is more likely to choose Supreme Court nominees “who recognize the Constitution’s checks on federal authority as a bulwark against tyranny,” suggesting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton would undermine the First Amendment in support of campaign finance reform and the Second Amendment in support of gun control.

A “Hillary Clinton administration would indulge the worst instincts of the authoritarian left and continue to swell the bloated regulatory state while running the nation deeper into the red in pursuit of ‘free’ college and health care,” according to the endorsement.

The editorial makes no mention of Israel, of which Adelson is a major supporter.

Adelson has donated as much as $25 million to Trump’s campaign effort, although in recent weeks has been said to have been frustrated with Trump’s performance in the election’s closing weeks.

Dozens of newspapers have endorsed Clinton for president.

Adelson, who as a casino operator has extensive holdings in the city, purchased the Las Vegas Review-Journal last year for a reported $140 million.

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